


Back in Blue

by SpitfireDragon109



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Sequel, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-24 13:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2582531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpitfireDragon109/pseuds/SpitfireDragon109
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryuko still misses Senketsu, so she moves in with her sister in hope of getting her mind off him. One day, Satsuki shows Ryuko an investigation paper written by their father regarding Life Fibers that will turn Ryuko's world upside down. Nudist Beach discovers a new threat, and both sisters join forces once again, but not without the help of some very special sailor uniforms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"I was really worried, ya know." Ryuko Matoi was sitting on the grass, crossing her legs and staring at the sky as she talked to Senketsu. It had been a week since she had put him back together. They were talking just outside the Mankanshoku's house.

The sailor uniform sighed and closed his eye. "At least no one was there to bug you about your body weight," he said jokingly. Ryuko let out a little laugh. "You're actually right about that, but I felt my partner in crime was missing."

"...partner in crime? Crime is what we are fighting against, Ryuko. Partners in crime do not save the world from life fibers."

"Sure they do! You are being worn by one right now!"

"Oh, so we are going to side with Nui and your mother now?"

"No one said that, whatever gave you that idea?"

"They are the clear example of partners in crime."

"But we're special: we kick ass. They don't. Also, they can't..."

"...synchronize." they said in unison, turning to look at each other and laugh.

Ryuko shook her head and looked straight ahead. "Man, it's been a long time since I had this much fun talking to someone. Everything's been so complicated lately." She placed her hand near Senketsu's eye and sighed. "Thanks Senketsu. You always manage to make me feel better."

Suddenly she started to feel Senketsu trembling under her hand, and sensed that something was off.

"Senketsu? What's going on?"

He took a deep breath and glanced at her.

"Ryuko. The time has come."

"What the hell are you talking abo-" She gasped at the sight of his left cuff disintegrating, disappearing into the air.

"Wha... what's happening to you?!" She demanded an answer from him as she failed to grasp his flying pieces.

"I... can't stay with you anymore. My time is up. I'm glad I met you, Ryuko." A deep sadness could be sensed in his voice.

"Stop saying stupid things!" She desperately looked around her, trying to figure out what she could do to prevent what was happening to Senketsu. She stopped looking upon placing her stare on her Seki Tekko.

"Senketsu, quick, we need to synchronize! You'll disappear if we don-" She pulled the pin and to her surprise nothing happened. "The hell?! Senketsu, come on, work with me!"

"Ryuko, there's nothing you can do to help me, this is how it's meant to be. Please forgive me."

"I'm not letting you go! You can't just go like this! After all we've been through!" Ryuko could feel tears trickling down her cheeks. She clenched Senketsu's right cuff, making him gasp. He looked at her face and saw her tears. He tried to comfort her through his gaze, though he knew he wouldn't accomplish anything.

"Ryuko... please don't cry. Everything will be fi-"

"Idiot!" Interrupted Ryuko through clenched teeth, her eyes swollen with tears. "Don't you DARE ask me that, let alone LIE to me!"

"..." Senketsu remained silent, almost separated from Ryuko's body.

"Everything will be okay' is just a stupid phrase that people believe in! You think I'll be 'okay'? 'Okay' doesn't cut it. I won't be 'okay'. I've told you before Senketsu, you're my friend, hell, you're more than a friend you're-"

Senketsu had disappeared from the face of the Earth, leaving Ryuko standing still, completely speechless. Her tears had stopped; a muffled gasp was lodged inside her throat, unable to come out. At that moment, Honnou city felt much more threatning and frightening than ever before. Her vision started to falter. And then she woke up.


	2. Only in My Dreams

Ryuko woke up to the sound of Mako's worried voice and her gentle, but vigorous shaking. It was so early not even the birds had waken yet, similar to those days in which they both had to fight their way through loads of obstacles to make it to school on time.

"Ryuko-chan, I'm really glad you're up." Standing next to Ryuko’s bed, she smiled at her friend as she held one of her hands in hers.

Ryuko was drenched in her own sweat and her hair was a complete mess. She took long deep breaths while she tried to avoid looking at Mako's face.

"You had another nightmare again." She pouted a little. "What were you dreaming of this time?"

"Nothing important, I've told you before," she growled. A cough escaped her cracked lips and she sat up on the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair, stretching her back. All that tossing and turning some hours ago left her back aching. "Stop worrying so much, Mako."

"I wish you could tell me what's going on. Is this about Senketsu-chan? " Her big wide eyes engulfed Ryuko’s eyes, hoping that was the answer she was looking for.

She stared back and then looked away. "...no, it has nothing to do with him, stop asking."

Mako knew Ryuko still missed him, despite her not admitting it, she was just too proud. She knew her well enough to know that she was lying. Luckily for her, she knew just how to cheer her up.

"Okay, will do!" She saluted her and stuck her tongue out, sort of imitating that greedy Takarada guy from Osaka. She grabbed both Ryuko's hands and started swinging them from side to side. "Ryuko-chan, I’ll go ask mom to make breakfast, I’ll even ask her to do her breakfast special!” She chirped. "Why don't you go take a bath while I help her out?"

Ryuko's face softened a bit and flashed a weak smile. "Sounds like a good idea." She got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. "I'll be out in ten!"

Mako sprinted to the door and held it open. "Okay dokey! If you don't come out in ten imma gonna go get you!" She hollered.

Ryuko's voice could be heard from the shower. "Got it!"

Mako zipped straight towards the kitchen, and much to her surprise, crashed into her family who was eavesdropping just outside the room.

"Oww... mom? Dad? Matarou? And even Guts! What're you doing here?" She asked, lying on the ground, sobbing her head.

They looked at each other for a while, not knowing what to say to Mako. Ms. Mankanshoku was the first one to break the silence.

"Mako, we heard Ryuko-chan had another nightmare again, is that true?" She kneeled down to face her daughter. 

Mako groggily stood up and out of nowhere, a spotlight flicked on above her, as she crossed her hands and a "hallelujah" could be heard in the background.

"Ryuko-chan's trying to hide it," -she made all sorts of awkward poses- "but she really does miss Senketsu-chan!" -she then adopted the form of a kamui- "I think the way to go is to reunite Ryuko-chan with her sister!" -followed by hopping, flying around with a bird costume, donning a wig that resembled Satsuki's hair and posing like her.

The spotlight turned off and turned on above Mako's dad. "But how would that help Ryuko?" "Gatsu gatsuuu!!" Guts agreed.

The spotlight came back to Mako. "I may be Ryuko-chan's bestest friend in the whole wide world," -she pointed at herself, spun around and opened up her arms, from which a medium-sized Earth came out- "but!" -then she was wearing a dinosaur costume, holding her index finger- "Ryuko-chan could have some sister bonding time with Satsuki-sama and that could cheer her up!" -she finished dressing up as Ryuko and Satsuki separately, but strangely enough in the same place, hugging each other, then just her as herself rolling on the floor excitedly.

"What are we waiting for then? Lets take Ryuko and-" Matarou dashed towards Ryuko and Mako's room when his mom grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"I think it would be better if we all sat down and talked to Ryuko-chan about this, see what she thinks about it." She smiled tenderly at her son.

"Let me decide what?" Ryuko asked in an uninterested tone, who was standing at the room's threshold, leaning against it with her elbow, legs crossed, her hair soaked and just a towel wrapped around her body.

Everyone let out a tiny scream of surprise at Ryuko's presence. Ryuko eyed them suspiciously. "...well?"

"We wanted to tell you at the dinner table, Ryuko-chan, is that okay with you?" Mako's mom tucked in some strands of hair in her ear.

"Why can't you just tell me now?" Asked an intrigued Ryuko.

"Are you sure? You haven't even put on some clothes yet."

"Oh..." Ryuko looked at her towel for a brief second and then looked back at them. "Right, I'll go do that first."

Mako's mom sighed in relief. Matarou, Mako's dad and Guts froze in place. "She's gonna...!" Exclaimed Mako's dad. "...get dressed!" Completed Matarou. An evil grin appeared on their faces and Ryuko knew perfectly what they were up to. She stood before them and cracked her knuckles. "You peek on me and you're DEAD."

Frightened by Ryuko's warning, they looked at each other in woe. "S-son, I think we should start making breakfast." Mako's dad gulped. "Y-yeah, sounds like a good idea." Matarou nodded slightly. They took Guts with them and disappeared in a heartbeat.

"I'd better leave you girls alone, those two need to be under constant supervision if we want the food to taste right!" Mako's mom winked at them and left.

"Ryuko-chan, are you feeling better now??" Mako slided near her friend.

"Yeah, taking a shower helped me cool off a little." She smiled. "But Mako, you do realize that it's four in the morning? Isn't it a bit too early to eat breakfast?" Ryuko yawned.

"Aww, don't worry about that! We don't mind." A nervous smile appeared on Mako's face.

"Okay, but after eating I'll go take a nap." Chuckled Ryuko.

"Noooo!" Warned Mako, cupping Ryuko's cheeks together.

"... is something wrong?" Ryuko raised an eyebrow.

"Y-you can't!"

"...can I ask why?"

Mako looked at the ceiling, trying to find an explanation. "Uhhh... today's THAT day!"

"...huh?"

"Yeah, it's sorta like THAT day at school, we all wake up super early so we can finish all our chores on time."

Ryuko looked at her friend straight in the eye, her cheeks still cupped together. "Really? I've never seen you guys do that, this would be your first time... Is there something you're not telling me Mako?" She narrowed her eyes.

"W-well..." she avoided Ryuko's stare for a while, but eventually she pulled herself together. "Ryuko-chan, please don't go to sleep again!" Wailing, she brought Ryuko's cheeks closer together. "I don't want to see you sad anymore!" Rivers of tears sprouted from Mako’s eyes.

Ryuko showed her a crooked smile. "Oh... that's what this is all about."

Mako let go of Ryuko and clasped her hands together, her head lowering. "If you're sad, then I'm sad! Please don't do it!"

Ryuko laughed and placed a hand on Mako's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm good now. Thanks for helping, Mako."

Ryuko froze for an instant, and lifted her nose towards the ceiling. "Hey Mako, smells like something's burning."

"You're right!!!! Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod I need to help out with breakfast!! Come on, Ryuko-chan!" Mako grabbed Ryuko by her wrist and dragged her to the kitchen. "W-wait Mako, I need to put some cloth-" It was too late; she was already standing next to the refrigerator.

The kitchen was a complete disaster: pans, pots and other cooking tools were scattered all over the stove.

Matarou was standing in front of the stove, with his face covered in a goo-like substance and coughing. The pan that he was using had smoke coming out of it, and what appeared to be pancake mix was perfectly scorched.

Mako's mom looked at her son in slight disapproval and gingerly pushed him away from the stove.

"I tried my best mom, I swear!!" Matarou sat in a chair next to the table and folded his arms.

"I thought you were helping him, dear."

" I was!! Until I got distracted." Mako's dad sat comfortably in the living room’s tiny sofa, watching whatever was on TV.

Mako's mom sighed as she dumped the pan's contents into the trash.

"Hey, it's Mako and Ryuko!" Exclaimed Matarou.

"Mako!" Mako's mom turned around to look at her daughter. "Please help me make some pancakes, dear."

"Sure thing mom!" Mako zipped to the stove and started by placing a pan on it.

"I'll help too, Mrs. Mankanshoku." Ryuko offered.

"Are you sure about that Ryuko-chan?" Mako's mom smiled. "You're still not wearing any clothes..."

"That's never stopped me from doing anything, ha!" Ryuko immediately flashed a fist at Mako's mom, but her sudden movement made her towel drop to the floor. Matarou and his dad stared at her in awe and glowing eyes. Guts joined them too. Ryuko felt her blood rushing to every single part of her body. Bewildered and embarrassed, she grabbed the towel and covered herself up in a blink of an eye.

"We..." uttered Matarou.

"…finally got what we wanted!!!" Shouted Mako's dad and Matarou in unison. Guts howled with them.

Ryuko stood behind them and grew three times her size. She glared at them, her face pitch-black. "You bunch of PERVERTS!!!" She hit them once, "I'm almost practically FAMILY," she hit them twice, "and you guys STILL GET A KICK OUT OF LOOKING AT ME NAKED?!" She hit them one last time, sending them flying to the next room.

"Yessss! We've been waiting for this moment for so looong!!!" They sang.

"Tch. Buncha perverts." Ryuko crossed her arms and frowned.

"Ryuko-chan! We'll take care of this. Go put on some clothes!" Prodded Mako.

"Yeah, be back in a sec." Said Ryuko in a monotone voice.

A couple of minutes passed by, and Mako and her mom managed to finish breakfast and set the table. Matarou, his dad and Guts limped to the kitchen, drooling over the smell coming from there.

"Ryuko-chan! Breakfast's ready!!!" Chimed Mako.

"Wow, that was quick!" Ryuko got caught off-guard while she was putting her skirt on. She slipped her jacket on and some socks and ran to the kitchen. "Coming!"

She sat next to Mako, eagerly waiting to eat. The whole family joined their hands together and said, "Thanks for the food!"

Pancakes, sunny-side up eggs, sausages, fruit, orange juice and much more decorated the dinner table. Ryuko snagged everything she could onto her plate. It was a rare sight to see the Mankanshoku family cook something other than croquettes and an even rarer sight when they cooked western food.

As Ryuko stuffed herself with a pancake, she went straight to the point. "So, Ms. Mankanshoku," she said with her mouth full, her voice muffled by it, "what did you want to talk about?" 

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Mako's mom swallowed her food. She put down her fork and folded her arms on the table. "Ryuko-chan, this was all Mako's idea, and we think it would do you good." She smiled tenderly.

"Hah? What is it?" Ryuko barely lifted her gaze from her food.

"We've decided it would be for the best if you moved in with your sister for a while.”

 

 

 

 


	3. Here I Go Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading this, and for all the kudos too! It makes me happy to know that there are people out there enjoying my story, I really appreciate it ^^ It inspires me to keep on writing! Just wanted to say that updates will be slower this time around. I'm entering finals week at college, so please bare with me. For the meantime, enjoy this new chapter :3

"W-wha?" Ryuko almost choked on her pancake; she felt how the blood went straight to her face.

"Mako said it would help cope with your nightmares, isn't that right?" Sukuyo looked at Mako, who was chugging some orange juice down her throat.

"Sister bonding! It's a great idea, Ryuko-chan!" She flashed her a thumbs up.

"B-but Mako..." Ryuko cleared her throat. "We're already sorta like sisters... we live under the same roof..."

"But Satsuki-sama's your biological sister! The person that carries the same blood through her veins! Your ever-loving sister that will be there for you no matter what!" Mako cupped her hands together and held them lovingly next to her face.

"You're... not listening to me Mako..." A sweatdrop ran down the side of her face. Before she knew it, Mako was crouching down next to her, with both her arms spread out from side to side.

"That's no good, Ryuko-chan! Sisters are meant to be together!" Frowned Mako.  She held a hand to her ear. "Do you hear that?"

Ryuko shook her head in disagreement.

"It's the sound of your lively sisterhood days to come floating away from your grasp, leaving the Earth, disappearing forever!" For an instant, Ryuko thought she saw a tiny tear on Mako's cheek. "So lets get you packing right away!"

"Mako, you should wait until she's finished, you can't pack on an empty stomach!"  Sukuyo reminded her. "Well, of course, only if you want to Ryuko-chan."

Ryuko watched as everyone devoured everything on their plate, not knowing what to say. She processed the thought in her head for a while and then she spoke.  "Uhm..." Ryuko lifted a hand in the air. "I'm not sure I agree with all of this..." 

She knew Satsuki had changed for good, that her days as Honnouji Academy's fearsome dictator were over, but somehow she still had that idea of her lodged in the back of her mind. And to make things worse, Ryuko wasn't someone who would open up to people quickly. Despite that, she definitely wanted to see her sister again and spend some time with her, she knew that much. The only problem was that she wouldn't know how to handle the situation. Sure, once she went out with her and Mako, but the thing was that most of the time she interacted more with Mako than with her own sister.

When she did talk to her, it was just small talk between the two of them. Things such as "Wow, the sky looks nice today", "Your hair looks pretty cut short", and "Glad we got rid of Ragyo's sorry ass" were all part of Ryuko's conversation starters, which didn't provide much of an answer on behalf of Satsuki. They were good answers, but the conversation didn't flow like Ryuko wanted it to. She did notice though, that when she displayed some cockiness or bravado her sister was much more approachable. Maybe it had to do with their past relationship as rivals, which boiled down to the same things. Truth be told, she just didn't know HOW to approach her. Satsuki Kiryuin was an enigma to her.

"I don't know... I don't think she has enough time for me. She's probably too busy taking care of the company our mother left behind anyways." Ryuko shrugged.

Upon listening to Ryuko, Sukuyo set her utensils apart. "Nonsense, Ryuko-chan! I'm sure she would be delighted to have you!"

Mako held up her index finger. "Besides, if you don't feel okay, you can always come back with us!"

"Yeah, you know we're like family to ya!" Matarou added.

"Just remember, anyone messes with you and I'll perform a c-section on them!" Barazou waved his hand in the air.

Guts dashed to Ryuko's lap and barked at her, wagging his tail.

"You guys..." Her eyes started to flood with tears, but she quickly concealed them with the cuff of her jacket. The corners of her lips rose slowly. "I'll do it." She moved her plate out of her sight. "I'm not hungry anymore. Thanks Ms. Mankanshoku, but I'd like to get packing."

"Of course Ryuko-chan, you don't have to apologize for anything! Mako, go help her pack."

"Got it!" She winked and took hold of Ryuko's wrist.

"Mako, w-wait...!" Ryuko knew it was no use, but she still tried to free herself from her friend's grasp. Mako, who mutated into a lightning bolt of frenzy, darted to their room in a matter of seconds.

Ryuko landed face down on her own bed when Mako let go of her. She started to open up every single drawer containing Ryuko's clothes and belted out a suitcase out of nowhere.

"You've defintely gotta take the cutest clothes that you own, Ryuko-chan! I bet Satsuki-sama will take you to lots of places, so you have to look extra cute! Now lets see..." A bunch of plain panties shot through the air, followed by matching bras. "These are no good, you need to look super cute even in your underwear!"

At the sound of the word "underwear", Ryuko immediately jumped out of bed. She stared at Mako manipulating her undergarments, which made her face turn as red as a tomato. "Oi, Mako! I-I can take care of that mys-" A pair of plain panties landed on Ryuko's face.

"Hmm, these are the best ones, yup!" Mako nodded as she placed some striped and polka dotted panties inside the suitcase.

"Mako." The underwear muffled her voice, but she was sure Mako could hear her.

"I guess that's about it for underwear." Mako beamed. "Moving on to socks!"

"Mako." A tiny growl could be heard from the bottom of her throat.

"Awwh... So many cute socks you could own and you just have plain ones..." Mako took a quick look at her own socks. "Wait, I forgot I don't have cute socks either!" She wiggled her toes and giggled at her own silliness.

Ryuko finally yanked her underwear off her face. "Mako!!"

"What is it?"

"Are you even listening to me?" She buried her face in the palm of her right hand. "I said I can do that myself." A slight hint of embarassment mixed with a nervous chuckle was present in her voice.

"Oh, sure thing, Ryuko-chan! You should've told me you wanted to do it!"

"Well, I was thinking something more among the lines of me choosing the clothes and you packing. I just wanna get this over with." Ryuko headed to the closet and flung it open. “…wait…” She looked at the empty closet and the fact that she didn’t actually own clothes except for the ones she was wearing dawned on her. “Ughhh…why are we doing this again?” She moaned. “We’re practically done here.”

“You still gotta pack things like your toothbrush, your pillow, and all those kinds of things!” Mako counted them with her fingers. “In fact, I readied a bag with that for you!” Once again, she pulled the object out of nowhere.

"Glad that's taken care of. Thanks Mako." Ryuko sat on the floor next to Mako, closing the suitcase. "So... when am I leaving?" She sighed.

"Lemme go ask." Mako dashed out of the room and came back with her family. Sukuyo was the first one to talk.

"Ryuko-chan, we phoned your sister, she said she's on her way right now to pick you up."

Ryuko's jaw dropped. " _Why does this not surprise me... they're amazingly fast at everything..."_ she thought.

"We sure are gonna miss you!" Sukuyo embraced Ryuko tightly. The rest of the family did the same, letting rivers of tears drop to the floor because of her sudden departure.

"W-wait... How many days am I leaving?" She uttered.

"Oh, just a couple of weeks."

"A couple?!" She stammered. "H-hey, I was thinking 4 or 5 days might be okay..."

"Satsuki requested that herself, dear."

Ryuko flashed a weak smile. "Definitely can't argue with that, huh." She turned her gaze towards the ceiling. "When is Satsuki getting here anyways?"

An unexpected blaring sound resonated throughout the whole house, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears. Despite the sound that forced her against the wall, Ryuko shielded herself with her arms and made her way towards the house's entrance. The more she approached it, the harder it was to keep on moving.

At just 2 meters away from the door's threshold, Ryuko lunged forward, thrusted her arm out and latched her hand onto the doorknob. She twisted it and opened the door to reveal a giant helicopter, which had just landed. Its propeller was coming to a stop. Ryuko watched in silence as the pilot door clicked open. A tall and slim man stepped out of the helicopter. She couldn't quite tell who it was until he reached the co-pilot door.

"Soroi?” She knew straight away what this was all about. “Then the other person who's inside must be..."

Satsuki Kiryuin had arrived at the Mankanshoku household.

 


	4. Walk This Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! ^^ I finally finished finals on Friday... glad that's over. Just a quick note, I changed the "-sama" to "Lady", I think it flows better that way. The only character that will still speak like this will be Mako, because I think it suits her quirky personality. Enjoy the sister fluff up ahead!

When Soroi helped Satsuki out of the helicopter, Ryuko stared at her in awe. She wore a moderate length beige dress which revealed her neckline, an elegant black jacket, a silver tear-shaped pendant that rested on her chest and a black belt fitted around her waist. A tiny purse gracefully hung on her shoulder and, as always, she sported a pair of high-heeled shoes. Her slick shoulder-length hair danced in the air as she made her way towards her sister. Ryuko wondered how Satsuki always managed to look stunning, not a single flaw on her. She was head to head with her on fighting terms, but when it came to fashion and good looks she was completely out of her league. If she had to guess, Satsuki probably even had royal blood flowing through her veins. Despite they did share the same parents, she thought maybe there was a political or royal figure in the family years ago who had transferred those characteristics to Satsuki. In fact, the side view of her face, which portrayed particular angular and fine features, helped confirm Ryuko's theory.

Satsuki now stood before Ryuko, who still held the door open. She surrounded her in a warm and tight hug.

"Ryuko. It's been so long." She gently placed her head on her shoulder.

Ryuko, caught off guard and not knowing what to do at first, stood stiff and blushed slightly. She was still not familiar with acting like a proper sister. Apparently Satsuki already knew how. She decided it would be for the best to do the same as her.

"Ah, what the hell, come here." She chuckled and wrapped her arms around Satsuki. She closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy the moment. "6 months, huh? I'm surprised you didn't call me before."

The older girl smiled. "...I was actually waiting for you to call first."

They looked at each other and laughed.

"We sure know how to keep track of each other." Ryuko grinned.

"The good thing is that we're together now." Satsuki pulled away from Ryuko and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Now, where's Mankanshoku and her family?"

"You still call her that? I mean, the Elite Four are one thing, but Mako?" Ryuko snorted.

"You know what they say... old habits die hard."

"Heh. Totally." Ryuko placed her hands on her hips, when suddenly the head of a curious Mako popped up in the newly created space between Ryuko's arm and waist.

"Did someone call? I'm right here-" Mako stared at Satsuki for a split second. "Wah! It's Satsuki-sama in the flesh!" She smushed her own cheeks together. 

"That was super quick! You look great by the way!" She beamed.

"Typical Mankanshoku." She shook her head and smiled. "Compliment accepted." She paused for a moment. "Where's Ryuko's luggage?"

"That's right!" She gasped and broke free from Ryuko's arm. "I totally forgot!" She quickly pulled the suitcase out of her cleavage and gave it to Satsuki. "Here it is!"

Satsuki, astonished at Mako's feat grabbed the suitcase by its handle. "How did she..."

"Don't ask, it's just Mako after all." Ryuko shrugged.

Satsuki turned her back on her sister and called out to Soroi. "Please take this to the helicopter."

"Yes, m'lady." He approached the sisters and did as told. "Lady Ryuko." He took hold of Ryuko's hand and kissed it. "It'll be an honor having you at the Kiryuin mansion. I'm sure you and Lady Satsuki will have a great time together." At that point Ryuko had lost count of how many times she had blushed that day, but this one in particular topped them all. Her face was literally burning up. "P-please, there's no need to call me that..." She wanted more than anything to let loose from Soroi's grip but she thought it would be pretty rude to do so and ignored the thought.

"Don't feel ashamed, Lady Ryuko. You are a lady, after all."

"This is just a little bit overwhelming..." She should have added "it's also embarassing" to her confession but omitted it.

"Would you rather want me to call you just by your first name?"

"N-no, that's okay, a little getting used to something never hurt anybody, right?" And there it was again. Ryuko's lack of honesty.

"Ryuko, did you say your goodbyes to Mankanshoku and her family already?" Wondered Satsuki.

Mako, who was standing next to Ryuko, clinged to her shirt. Waterfalls of tears ran down her cheeks.

"Ryukoooo don't go! I've changed my mindddd!" She wailed.

"Mako, but I-"

"I just realized how much I'm gonna miss you!!!" She threw her arms around her neck, her cheek touching Ryuko's.

"I won't be gone for long, ya know." She smirked.

The rest of the Mankanshoku family barged outside the house and clinged to Ryuko too.

"We're gonna miss you a lot!" They cried.

"I'll miss you guys too." Ryuko hugged them. When she was finished, she turned to look at Satsuki and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready... sis." She uttered, the last word barely noticeable.

"Excellent. Lets get going then." She bowed before Mako and her family. "Thank you for taking care of her all this time. I assure you she will be in good hands."

"I know she will! You're her dear sister after all!" Chimed Mako.

"Lets go, Ryuko." Satsuki and Ryuko walked towards the helicopter with Soroi. When they reached the helicopter, she turned around and waved.

"Bye, everybody! Those two weeks will be over before you know it!" She hollered.

The Mankanshoku's family crying could been seem from afar, ridiculous amounts of tears spewed from their eyes.

Satsuki entered the helicopter, followed by Ryuko. Soroi, of course, helped them get inside. He closed their door shut and proceeded to enter the cockpit. Inside, there was a dark glass that divided the cockpit from the back part. The windows were dark as well, not allowing anyone from the outside a view from the inside. The thing that struck Ryuko the most when she finally sat down was the smell. It smelled like new, as if her sister had just purchased the helicopter that afternoon. She couldn't quite see the seats nor the walls, but touching them was just enough to let her know that they were in perfect state, no signs of being used whatsoever. She wouldn't be surprised at all if she found out that Satsuki owned it since months ago and up until now kept it in perfect conditions.

"Lady Satsuki and Lady Ryuko, we are ready for takeoff." Announced Soroi. His voice came from some built-in speakers in the back.

Satsuki pressed a button next to her and kept it pressed. "We're ready, Soroi. You can proceed."

The helicopter's blades started to spin slowly. Meanwhile, Ryuko looked at her surroundings, a wave of curiosity overtaking her. She had never been in a helicopter before, let alone ride in an exceptionally well maintained aircraft. When it finally lifted off into the sky, she looked out the window. Houses, shops, markets and much more constantly shrinked in size until they were the size of an ant. Rivers and forests of which Ryuko had no idea that existed appeared before her.

"This is really something else, Satsuki." Ryuko's eyes glowed, her nose pressed towards the window.

"I'm glad you like it." Laughed Satsuki.

Looking at the city from above reminded her of something, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Her eyes moved swiftly, storing everything she saw into her brain. Then, right there, it dawned on her. She and Senketsu shared a similar view when they were in Shippu mode. Ryuko immediately redirected her gaze towards the floor.

"Ryuko, is something wrong?" Satsuki noticed her sister was clenching her own skirt.

"I'm okay, really. I just... remembered something."

"...would you like to talk about it?"

"Nah, I'm good. No biggie." Tears emerged subtly from the corners of her eyes.

"Ryuko..." Satsuki sighed and continued. "Mankanshoku's mother told me you were feeling down, but she never told me why." She grabbed one of Ryuko's hands. "I would like to know what's going on. I don't like to see you like this."

Ryuko bit her lower lip, trying to build up the strength to tell her sister.

"...it's Senketsu." She finally uttered.

Satsuki remained silent, prepared to listen to everything Ryuko had to say.

"I miss him a lot. I thought I would get over him after a while, and I even said to myself I had outgrown him but... I was just lying to myself. I miss wearing him, talking to him at night, fighting by his side, our laughs, his voice... I miss him so much, dammit!!" Her voice cracked. She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around Satsuki's hand, her eyes red with anger and sadness. She started crying, something she thought she would never do in front of Satsuki.

Satsuki scooted near Ryuko and embraced her. She put her hand on Ryuko's head and caressed it.

"Ryuko... I didn't know. I'm really sorry. If I had known earlier I would've called you immediately. Since I didn't see you talk about him or anything I presumed you were fine, but I was wrong. Please forgive me."

"It's not your fault." She squeaked.

"Cherish the memories you had with Senketsu. He's not here anymore, but you'll always remember what you shared. Hold them close to your heart. No one can ever take them away from you." She looked at her sister's face and Ryuko looked back at her. "Better now?"

Ryuko sniffed and wiped the tears away with her hand. Her voice was still slightly cracked. "Thanks sis. I mean it."

"No need to thank me. That's what sisters do." She smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better because I hope you're ready for what I'm about to show you."

Satsuki reached into a compartment to her left and pulled out a binder.

"What's that?" Ryuko eyed it suspiciously.

"It's the schedule I prepared for us."

"A schedule?! Why the hell do we need one?"

"It's a two week schedule for all the activities I have in mind."

"When did you plan all of this?!”

"I took the liberty of planning this in my free time. I knew we were going to meet sooner or later."

"What's in the schedule anyways?"

"I'll tell you right now. Today's Tuesday 15th..." Satsuki directed her finger to the first scheduled activity of the day. "10:00hrs to 13:00hrs, tour of the Kiryuin mansion, 13:00hrs to 15:00hrs, spa treatment, 15:00hrs to 18:00hrs shopping for clothes at the mall, 18:00hrs to 20:00hrs-"  
"Whoa whoa, hold it!" Ryuko grabbed Satsuki's binder and violently pushed it down. "Y-you weren't expecting me to listen to the whole two week schedule... right?"

"As a matter of fact, I always sat through Gamaoori's weekly schedules for the disciplinary committee. It's not that difficult once you get used to it."

"Yeah, but I'm not you. So! I say you leave it like that." She crossed her arms behind her back. "Surprise me."

"Very well then." Satsuki was relieved Ryuko was back to her own self. She glanced outside the window and saw they were just above the Kiryuin mansion.

"Preparing to land." Announced Soroi.


	5. One thing leads to another

The helicopter was just a few feet above the ground. Since they were at a lower height, Ryuko decided it was now safe to peek outside; that it wouldn't trigger any memories about Senketsu. Rows and rows of bushes and trees as far as her eye could see surrounded them. Ryuko thought she saw a gate, but couldn't confirm it until she stepped out of the helicopter. She was right: a tall menacing black gate stood before them, with the word "Kiryuin" shaped as an arc at the very top; tiny thorough sculpted flowers decorated it at the corners. Behind the gate was what appeared to be a long, narrow road, which was hidden at the very end by trees. A heavy and eerie atmosphere permeated the entire entrance.

Ryuko saw a black coated elegant car, which waited near the gate. Satsuki gestured her to get inside it. Once the three of them were inside the vehicle, Soroi pushed a button on the control panel next to him and the gate opened. It made a heavy, metal sound as it flung open, almost as if it was screeching. Ryuko winced at the noise of the gate as Soroi drove through it.

"Some welcome, sis." Remarked Ryuko. "How do you expect for people to even visit when everything's so creepy around here?" She said between nervous laughs as she leaned on the edge of the window with her arms folded, catching a view from the outside.

"You really think so?" Satsuki held a hand to her chin, pondering about it. "I think you're right. I'm just so used to this that it hadn't crossed my mind how people might think of it." She took a deep breath. "Mother was the one who had it arranged this way."

"All the better reason to bulldoze it to the ground." Said Ryuko smugly. "Why haven't you done anything about it?" She hoped she hadn't crossed a line of some sort with her.

"As strange as it may sound... I'd like to keep it this way. Maybe get rid of some trees here and there, make the gate look more inviting. But I'd definitely leave it as it is." A serious look reigned Satsuki's face.

Ryuko turned to look at her sister, puzzled.

"I did grow up here, after all. Wouldn't you do the same?" Frowned Satsuki.

"Maybe. As long as I got rid of the ghosts that are totally lurking around in those trees, yeah, I'd do the same." She flashed a genuine grin, hoping Satsuki would respond to her joke accordingly.

"Oh Ryuko... I should probably take care of that first, yes." She brought a hand to her mouth and giggled.

Ryuko sighed in relief. She took it lightly, just like she intended. She was glad she was actually making some progress with her sister, and it didn't feel weird or uncomfortable for the first time. She felt like she could be herself around her. She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for having come this far.

"We have a lot of catching up to do, huh?" Said Satsuki. "15 years is quite a long time."

"Yeah... I sometimes think how our lives would've been if we had grown up together."

"They would be very different." Satsuki's eyes flickered, as if she had remembered something. "But you know, the past is the past, we only have the present now. Which is why I've synthesized 15 entire years into the two-week schedule I showed you."

"...you're serious." Ryuko raised an eyebrow at her.

"When it comes to my little sister, I am one hundred percent serious."

Ryuko's face flushed red for the umpteenth time that day.

"Can't wait to see how you'll deal with our younger years."

"I've got it all covered. Don't underestimate me." She closed her eyes and raised her head, smiling triumphantly.

"As expected of Satsuki Kiryuin." She laughed.

"We're here." Soroi's voice was heard through similar speakers to the ones inside the helicopter.

When Ryuko got out of the car, an enormous white mansion stood before her. It was even bigger than her father's mansion.

"Wow..." she whispered, gaping at the building.

Satsuki walked past by her, followed by Soroi. She chuckled at the sight of her sister in awe. "Come on, Ryuko. If we don't hurry up we're not going to complete the tour on time."

Ryuko walked slowly, admiring every inch of the entrance.

"Ya know Satsuki, if I had seen your mansion back when we were rivals, I would've said something really cocky." She smirked.

"Like what?"

" 'Not bad... for a Kiryuin. A good enough place to kick back and relax. Though I've gotta admit I've seen better.'"

" 'Don't get too comfortable, Matoi. Remember you're here on unfinished business,' is what I would've said to you." She nodded, pleased with her would-be answer.

"But since we're not rivals anymore, I think it looks amazing, I love it and can't wait to spend two weeks in it." She was getting more and more used to this whole sister thing by the second. 

"Wait until you see the inside of it." She waited for Soroi to open the door for them before they entered the mansion.

Ryuko was greeted with a booming welcome which resonated throughout the entire hallway, coming from dozens of servants dressed in black and white attires.They all stood in parallel rows, all of them seemingly delighted to see Ryuko. A sign made out of cloth that said "Welcome Ryuko" in bold, black letters hung above their heads.

Ryuko, who was taken off guard, yelped. "S-satsuki... I can't believe you set all of this up for me..." A wide, crooked grin was plastered across her face.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel at home and at ease, Ryuko." She placed her hand on one of her shoulders. "There's still a lot in store for you."

Her eyes beamed as she held up a fist. "Awesome. So...what's next?"

Out of nowhere, almost as if Ryuko had summoned her, Nonon Jakuzure appeared right in front of them, dressed in a full red leotard with white and gold highlights and short white boots. She also wore a small black beret, held her iconic pink and white baton in one hand and in the other one she held a megaphone.

"Welcome, Transfer Student!" Nonon saluted Ryuko.

Ryuko gave her a confused look.

"I-I mean, Ryuko. Sorry, I still gotta get used to call you by your name. Hello Lady Satsuki." She smiled.  
Ryuko noticed her other three companions were absent. "Hey, where's the rest of your crew?"

"Oh, you mean the Elite Four? Well... Froggy's out on family business, Doggy’s busy preparing for an exam and Monkey’s tutoring some Kendo students." She said as she counted with her fingers.

"Nonon." Satsuki cleared her throat.

"Oh right! I'll have the honor of being your tour guide for the Kiryuin mansion today." She bowed. "Of course, I was the best candidate out of all us Elite Four because I know this mansion like the back of my hand. I seriously doubt they would even know where Lady Satsuki's room is!" She sneered.

"She hasn't changed a bit." Ryuko whispered in Satsuki's ear.

Nonon indicated them to follow her to a tiny car with no roof.

"Do we really need to get into a car to see the whole mansion?" Sighed Ryuko, sitting in the back.

"You'll get tired after walking a while, trust me." Said Satsuki as she got into the car.

Soroi took the wheel again and Nonon stood on the seat next to him. 

"O-oi... you sure that's safe? You might fall down, you know." Said an alert Ryuko.

"Nah, I've pulled all kinds of stunts back when I was band leader." She thrusted out her chest. She placed one hand on her hip and held the megaphone to her lips. "Are you girls ready?"

"Go ahead, Nonon." Prodded Satsuki.

"Ready." Ryuko nodded.

"I can hear you loud and clear, Lady Satsuki, but I can't hear you Ryuko!!" Hollered Nonon.

"Ready." She muttered.

"Louder, can't hear ya!"

"I said, ready." She groaned.

"Sorry, still can't hear ya. Don't wanna disappoint your big sister now do you?" She smirked.

Satsuki let out a little laugh.

Ryuko turned red and nudged her sister with her elbow. "S-shut up."

"Still waiting..." Sang Nonon, twirling her baton around.

"READY!" Ryuko screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Good, good, now we're making progress! On to the tour then!" She pointed forward with her baton and Soroi accelerated.

"Unbelievable..." Ryuko crossed her arms, making a sort of pout.

"Don't take it too seriously, Ryuko. That's just how Nonon is. She loves fooling around. You should see her when she's with her fellow Elite Fours." Satsuki looked towards the ceiling.

"The Kiryuin mansion was built in 1846, but wasn't owned by the Kiryuin family until over a century later." Nonon recited as if she had been doing it years ago. "Kinzo Kiryuin was the one who bought the mansion in 1946 and made several adjustments to it. This long hallway, which connects to other rooms was built thanks to him."

"Who was Kinzo?" Ryuko raised her hand.

"Oh, he was Ragyo Kiryuin's grandfather. He also was in charge of restoring the whole mansion as well as adding some extra rooms."

"How'd you get her to learn all this?" Whispered Ryuko.

"I handed her some notes. Also, she's right about knowing all about this mansion. She's been here lots of times, we know each other since we were five." Satsuki shrugged.

"She's surprisingly good at it." Ryuko admitted it.

"What did you say?" Nonon narrowed her eyes at Ryuko.

"N-nothing." She looked at the ground.

Nonon resumed her tour, going on about the Kiryuin family and their very important contributions to society. They drove through numerous places, such as the REVOCS reunion room, the grand diner, the study room and many others. Until the very end of the hallway were the places labeled as "Kiryuin".

"These stairs to our left lead to Ragyo Kiryuin's room." Nonon observed. "It still remains the same since she passed away."

Ryuko's blood boiled at the sound of her mother's name."You definitely don't have a reason now to not tear this down, sis." She pointed at the stairs, growling.

"I can't do that, Ryuko." Satsuki closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly. "I still need more time."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Snapped Ryuko.

"Soroi, please keep on driving." Satsuki raised a hand to her forehead.

"Yes, m'lady." Soroi stamped on the accelerator.

"Satsuki-chan..." Nonon lowered her megaphone, concerned about Satsuki.

"Nonon, why did you stop? I didn't tell you to." Satsuki glared at the pink haired girl.

Nonon bit her lip, stung by her stare. "Uhm... s-sure."

Soroi was about to arrive at the outside of the Grand Kiryuin Bath and Nonon raised the megaphone to her lips but got interrupted by Satsuki.

"Keep on going Soroi, don't stop." Ordered Satsuki.

Ryuko grabbed Satsuki by her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "You are going to tell me right now what's going on."

Ryuko tightened her grip on Satsuki's shoulders. "...something tells me something happened to you in those places."

"Not now Ryuko." Satsuki avoided her sister's stare.

"Is this about Ragyo?" Ryuko's words shot through her sister like a bullet.

"Stop it. Stop it right now." Satsuki took hold of Ryuko's hands and broke free of her grasp.

Ryuko looked at Satsuki with fire in her eyes, not furious at her sister, but furious at whatever had happened to her in the past. Whatever it was, she understood by Satsuki's reactions that this was a very delicate situation that had to be dealt in private. Anything Satsuki had to say to her couldn't be said, by any means, in front of Nonon or Soroi.

"Tch. Okay. Whatever you say." Ryuko crossed her arms, and slumped in her seat.

Soroi and Nonon exchanged anxious looks.

"Are we stopping by the Kiryuin Library, Lady Satsuki? Or would you rather want me to drive past it? We're really close." Soroi worded it as calmly as possible.

Satsuki's eyes widened. "Yes, please stop. I have something I want to show to Ryuko."

Nonon continued with the tour, relieved that Satsuki wanted to actually stop at the library and not avoid it like the last two. When they got there, all of them got off the car, walked and stopped before two enormous doors. Nonon turned around, her back facing the door.

"The Kiryuin Library was built thanks to Soichiro Kiryuin in 1986. It's home to millions of books, newspapers and magazines. Originally, this place was foreseen as a ballroom by Ragyo Kiryuin, but Soichiro insisted on the idea of building a library." She opened the doors by pushing both at the same time. They creaked a bit, revealing a giant library, loaded with millions of books. 

"Ryuko." Satsuki grasped Ryuko's arm. "There's something I've been meaning to show you."


	6. How Will I Know

Nudist Beach headquarters 

Tsumugu Kinase sat in front of a computer screen inside a pitch black room. A blueish glow that came from the screen reflected on Tsumugu's face. He leaned closer towards the screen with his arms rested on his knees and squinted at a sonar. He searched for anything that would suggest movement. Nothing. He had been doing the same thing for hours and the underwater radar hadn't picked up anything at all. He scowled, lifted his fingers to the bridge of his nose and reclined in his chair.

"Tch. Makes me wonder why we're still doing this."

Ever since the battle against Ragyo had ended, Nudist Beach shut down all military operations. Despite that, they still were on the lookout for any possible remaining Life Fibers. Each week, Tsumugu and Mikisugi took turns on the sonar, which were becoming more and more tedious after six months of constant searching. What made it even more exhausting was that they did nothing more than check the underwater radar every now and then. At times, Tsumugu would do regular checkups on the machines at the headquarters, such as the DTRs and the machines used for Life Fiber investigation. Since they weren't used constantly, he flicked them on and kept them running for a couple of hours as well as operating some of them, otherwise they would end up malfunctioning. 

Tsumugu slumped in his seat and fiddled around with a toothpick he had in his hand and then put it inside his mouth.

"Mikisugi should call this off. We're not Nudists. Not anymore."

Mikisugi was the one who had initially suggested they kept an eye on the radar in case Life Fibers appeared. Tsumugu liked the idea at first, but now he found himself on the brink of exasperation. His fellow Nudist Beach member -and friend- had a certain advantage over him, which was also the main reason he thought they weren't going to quit anytime soon: he still gave history classes to high school students. His morning consisted of going to the outskirts of Honnou city and teaching at a prestigious school -though not that high of a status as the deceased Honnouji Academy-, while in the evening he would check the sonar at the headquarters. Tsumugu, on the other hand, did not have another job besides the one he had at Nudist Beach. Being at headquarters made him feel very lonely sometimes, which was something Mikisugi didn't get to experience because of his other job.

Tsumugu closed his eyes and remembered the day when the whole Nudist Beach organization got together to talk about their future. He sat silently next to Mikisugi, just nodding when a decision was made. After the Nudist Beach army was let off the hook for the time being, Mikisugi asked for someone who could supervise the radar, and Tsumugu was the first one who volunteered.

"Are you sure about this? It's a lot of work." Mikisugi raised an eyebrow.

"Let me tell you two pieces of information: One. I believe I am the most qualified for this task since I know how to handle everything that has to do with computers. Two. I really don't mind."

Little did Tsumugu know how right Mikisugi was. If he had known from the start that it was going to be like this he wouldn't have volunteered in the first place. He opened his eyes and sighed. The radar's beeped at a steady pace, completely barren of signals. Tsumugu spinned around on his chair until his back faced the computer. 

He started to fall sleep until he heard a faster beeping sound. At first he thought he was dreaming but proved himself wrong when he spun around -almost broke his neck in the process- and looked at the screen. A tiny red dot, at the right upper corner flashed on and off. He clenched the desk in front of him and inhaled deeply.Tsumugu retrieved his cellphone from his pocket in a flash, dialed a number and held it to his ear.

\---------------------

Outskirts of Honnou City, Ushinomiya Institute

Aikurou Mikisugi wrote on the chalkboard in front of him and glanced beneath his dark glasses at his textbook in his left hand. He still donned his old high school teacher getup, but looked twice as scruffy than before.

"Eeh... so today we're going to talk about the Holocaust." He said in a raspy voice. "It is the most infamous event inside the Second World War timeline. Has anyone here heard about it before?" He turned his head to look at his students. "...no?" 

His answer was a couple of coughs and someone who sneezed at the very back.

"I'll take that as a yes." He faced the class and adjusted his glasses. "Between the years 1942 and 1944 the Third Reich was at at peak of its government. Adolf Hitler captivated audiences to left and right. Germany finally seemed to be recovering from the first World War, but that was just a mistaken thought who everyone in the German society shared."

A crumpled paper ball headed straight for Mikisugi's head. He caught it in midair, just inches away from getting hit.

"Your class sucks!" A male student yelled from somewhere between the middle.

"Yeah! Who cares about history anyways?" This time it was a female student.

Mikisugi placed his textbook on his desk, threw the ball into a nearby trashcan and put his hands inside his pockets. 

"Now calm down. No need to pick on your history teacher for no good reason."

"You're not the boss of us!"

"So what if we just wanna mess around with ya? What're you gonna do then huh?"

"Our last history teacher was far better than you!"

The complaints and rude remarks were more and more until the whole classroom was out of control. Millions of paper balls flew through the air, which Mikisugi evaded at first but they ended up too much for him to handle. He was buried underneath a giant pile of paper balls when his cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

"Get down here immediately. Something's up."

"Oh! It's Tsumugu!" His voice changed from scruffy teacher to his usual self in a split second. "I'm in a bit of a tight spot right now... what's going on?"

"The radar picked up a signal. It may be Life Fibers."

Mikisugi froze in place. "Are you sure it isn't a false alarm?"

"That's why I need you to come here and check it out."

"Say no more, I'm on my way!" He hung up and effortlessly got out of the pile of paper balls. He returned to his disguise voice.

"Eeeh... class, I have an emergency so I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you now." He scratched his back and shrugged.

"You think we give a damn?!" A male student yelled out loud.

Mikisugi pushed his glasses upwards and ran his hand through his hair. He started to strip slowly, without manipulating his clothes. "Truth be told, I never liked you to begin with. The students at Honnouji Academy were much more respectful than you." He purred.

Girls covered their mouths and blushed at the sight of their teacher glowing in purple in inappropriate areas.

"W-what are you, some kind of pervert?!"

"No..." He spread out his legs and thrusted his chest out as he held a hand to his forehead. "I am Aikurou Mikisugi, Nudist Beach Splendid Naked Officer! Come on, Naked Shooting Star!" He twisted his head to the left and snapped his fingers. 

A black car came out of nowhere crashing into the classroom and stopped right in front of him. The entire classroom sat in their desks, not knowing how to process what they were seeing.

"As of today, I am officially quitting as your teacher." He said as he entered the car, wearing nothing more than a pair of black underwear and slammed the door shut.

"I'd rather go back to being a nudist anyways." He buckled his seatbelt, gripped the wheel in front of him and pointed with his finger straight ahead. "Let's go skinny diving!!!" He slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car shot forward, making a hole in the wall.

The students ran to the hole and stared, bewildered, at their eccentric teacher plunging in his car to the depths of the city.

 

\----------

Kiryuin Mansion

"Do me a solid and give me that cup over there please, sis." Said Ryuko as she brushed her teeth.

"It surprises me how fast you're getting used to calling me like that. It's only been a day, you know." Satsuki sat in a stool next to Ryuko while she ran her fingers through her silky black hair. She chuckled and did as told.

Ryuko filled the cup with water and took a big sip from it. She spit the contents from her mouth to the sink in front of her and quickly licked her row of upper teeth.

"I like calling you sis. Sounds more special to me."

"So can I call you sis?" Satsuki crossed her legs and leaned towards Ryuko.

"Maybe. But it sounds a bit awkward." Ryuko opened her mouth and inspected it in the mirror, using a finger to make sure her teeth were completely clean.

"How come?" She laughed.

"You're bigger than me." She said flatout.

"Really? That's your reason?"

"Pretty much, yeah. It'd be weird if my big sister called me sis." She eyed Satsuki as the right corner of her lips rose. "So! Time for bed?"

Satsuki nodded and got up from the stool. She headed in a different direction than that of the bedroom. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Ryuko left her toothbrush near the sink and took one last good look at her teeth. "'Kay." 

When she was finished she walked to the bedroom and jumped onto the bed Satsuki had prepared for her. She stretched and crossed her arms behind her neck. "Wow, this is incredibly comfortable," she thought to herself. "Wonder what this pillow's made of." She sat with her legs crossed in a yoga-like position and looked for a tag on the pillow. "REVOCS Corporation, 100% goose feathers," she read. "Fancy as hell." She uttered. "Not even Mako's parents got their hands on a pillow like this when they were rich." She bit her lower lip. "What about..." She laid downwards on the bed and looked for the manufacturing tag on the mattress. "REVOCS Corporation, Diamond Edition Luxury Mattress." She took a quick whiff and sneered. "Satsuki, you bastard. Mattress and pillow, both brand new and insanely comfortable."

"I'm a what now?" A not so pleased Satsuki stood before Ryuko with a scrapbook in one of her arms.

"N-nothing, I was just thinking out loud, that's all."

"Oh? What were you thinking about?" She sat next to her on the bed and left the scrapbook beside her.

"Just wondering how come everything's freaking new around here." Ryuko took several strands of hair of hers and played with them.

"All the best for my little sister who's visiting."

Ryuko tried to keep herself together, but her face said otherwise and turned red. "You're really something, did you know that?" She sighed. "Then again, I expected nothing less from the great Satsuki Kiryuin."

"Oh, stop it. No one calls me like that anymore."

"I just did." Ryuko grinned slyly.

"You need to decide between the great Satsuki Kiryuin and sis. You can't call me both." She playfully nudged Ryuko.

"Evil overlord or fellow family member? Tough decision..." Ryuko held a hand to her chin.

"Evil overlord? Is that what you thought of me back then?" She scoffed.

Ryuko was almost done making up her mind when Satsuki assaulted her, tickling her ribs. "H-hey, stop it!" She said between laughs. "That's not fair! I had my guard down!" Ryuko managed to break free from Satsuki's tickling and pounced on her from behind. "Gotcha!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Satsuki took hold of Ryuko in midair and slammed her towards the bed. She placed a foot on her sister and boomed, "Bow down to me, pig in human clothing, for I, Satsuki Kiryuin, have defeated you in battle!"

"A little rough on the edges there, sis..." Ryuko grunted.

"I'm so sorry, did I hurt you badly?" She held a hand to her mouth in shock and kneeled on the bed to check on Ryuko.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'm used to taking your blows, remember?" She smirked.

"Very well. Want to carry on then?"

Ryuko sat up on the bed and stretched. Her back cracked and she winced. "Nah, that's enough for today."

"See, I did hurt you." Worried, Satsuki sat behind Ryuko. "Let me see your back."

"OW!"

Satsuki straightened Ryuko's back in an instant by pressing against it with her thumbs. "Better now?"

"Yeah... thanks." Ryuko scratched her back and yawned. "I've wanting to ask..." -she pointed to the scrapbook on the bed- "...what's that?"

Satsuki grabbed the scrapbook and opened it. "This contains pictures of me when I was a child. This is me at four years old." She placed her finger on a photograph where she was depicted crying and had a plush teddy bear in one hand. "I went crying to father, who was busy researching at night and told him I was afraid of the dark. He left what he was doing and held me in his arms, carrying me to my room. He simply switched the light on and told me there was nothing to be afraid of, that darkness was only the absence of light. He tucked me in my bed and went back to work. When he left, I got scared again. So I went running to him again and just said, 'But I want you to be with me.' And that's when he took the picture."

"A picture of you actually looking cute. That's amazing." Ryuko chuckled. She looked at the rest of the pictures and saw some where Satsuki was playing, laughing and even having tea. "What about these? Who took them?"

"Soroi did. The only picture father ever took of me was the one I just told you about. He was far too busy to take pictures, I presume." Satsuki turned some pages and pointed at another picture. "This is me at age five."

Satsuki was seen playing with Nonon in the picture. They held hands and danced around. Nonon waved at the camera, while Satsuki eyed the camera sideways with a very slight, almost invisible smile. Ryuko noticed that in the entire set of pictures her sister hardly smiled. She mainly adopted a serious look, her eyebrows furrowed and a frown upon her face.

"Now this looks like you when you ruled over Honnouji Academy, only smaller." Ryuko sensed something was off about Satsuki at age five. There was a dramatic change from the last set of pictures and these, as if Satsuki had matured over the course of one day. Her face was no longer that of a child's, but one of an adult with determination, resolve and an iron fist.

"These are pretty much all the pictures I've got of myself." Satsuki closed the scrapbook shut.

"I thought you had more." Ryuko was puzzled.

"I didn't have time for pictures. Not after father left and told me all about the Life Fibers. I purposefully asked Soroi to not take anymore pictures of me." Satsuki breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "It was hard talking him out of it."

"...why'd you ask him to stop? Everyone has time for pictures now and then, sis."

"I became obsessed, Ryuko. I would lock myself inside my room and plan my attack on Ragyo and the Life Fibers. Every evening I would sit at my desk and planned as much as I could. When I grew sick of it, I would read or play with my toys."

"But...why? I mean, what made you get so obsessed with it that you had to plan it from the get-go?"

"You are asking too many questions, Ryuko." Her voice was firm and commanding.

Ryuko felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her and an invisible wall generated between her and Satsuki. She was entering dangerous territory but Ryuko in dire need of seeing for herself what was causing her sister to act like that.

"...so what if I am? I can ask you whatever I want and I expect you to answer back." Her eyes gleamed. "So, tell me, what did happen to you in those rooms we visited?"

"None of your business." She snapped.

"It sure as hell is. If you trust me, then you are going to tell me right this instant what happened to you." Ryuko looked at her straight in the eye.

"Why do you care so much?" She raised her voice.

"Because I'm your sister, period. I have every right to know, so I'm going to ask again: what happened?" Ryuko worded the last two words separately.

"I can't tell you. I just can't." She stood from the bed and avoided Ryuko’s stare. 

"Why? Because you think you'll make a fool out of yourself? No one's going to laugh at you, I swear."

"Just..." Satsuki was about to answer but she shut her mouth. "I can't. I'm sorry Ryuko."

"What the hell happened to you that it can't even cross your damn mou-"

"She TOUCHED me!" Satsuki, in a burst of outrage finally looked at Ryuko. "That's what happened, she would touch me when Soroi wasn't around, all right?!” 

Ryuko had made her sister crack. She had never seen her like this and thought she never would, and now she regretted it. Her blood boiled inside her at the thought of what her sister had gone through and felt like completely useless because she couldn’t have done anything to avoid it. If she would’ve grown up with Satsuki, things would be better. She was sure of that because she would’ve fought for her, taken her place. Tears rolled down Satsuki's cheeks and her hands were balled into fists. Ryuko, without uttering a single word, hugged her sister and laid with her on the bed. She held her close to her and caressed her back, gently stroking her hair. Satsuki shivered and Ryuko held her even closer. After a while, Satsuki finally spoke.

"...it was horrible. After father left I was left alone with her. Of course I had Soroi... but at the end of the day he sent me to her."

"Did you ever tell Soroi?"

"I couldn't. I just couldn't bear to imagine his reaction to it. He would've been devastated." 

"How many years did you put up with it?"

Satsuki lowered her gaze and a faint voice escaped her lips. "Until the day she died." 

"That bitch." Ryuko said, enraged. 

"I have...trouble sleeping sometimes because of that. I'm sorry if I wake you up at night." She hid her face beneath her bangs. 

Ryuko placed a hand on her cheek. "Don't be. Don't ever be sorry. You don't have to pretend to be strong, either. It's okay to accept you're weak. Like I said, you don't have to do everything yourself."

Satsuki broke into tears and clenched Ryuko's shirt. She cried until she was tired of it and eventually dozed off. Ryuko, still holding her sister in her arms, eventually felt her eyelids closing.

“She won’t hurt you anymore, I promise. We have each other now.” Said Ryuko in a quiet voice. 

She gave her a small kiss on the forehead and drifted off to sleep.


End file.
